10 Tips for Effective E-Mail Communication

Make sure the subject line has something relevant to the email in it. This will first help the person you are sending it to identify and prioritize their inbox, and secondly, this helps when searching for an email on a specific subject. I still get emails from people with no subject line, forcing me to open each message from them to find the email that contains the information I am seeking. Avoid an overly generic subject that can be marked as spam or overlooked in a full inbox.

Be clear and concise. Remember that tone of voice does not carry well over text. Make sure, if you need action taken, like a phone call or a reply, that you let the reader know this. Use paragraphs with line breaks to make the text easier to read. Try to keep your paragraphs short, around fifty words. Make sure that any contact information is listed in the email. Don't assume that the person on the other end has this readily available. The next point covers signature lines.

Be clear and concise. Remember that tone of voice does not carry well over text. Make sure, if you need action taken, like a phone call or a reply, that you let the reader know this. Use paragraphs with line breaks to make the text easier to read. Try to keep your paragraphs short, around fifty words. Make sure that any contact information is listed in the email. Don't assume that the person on the other end has this readily available. The next point covers signature lines

DigitalDivaDomains.com web mail features a spell check tool that will scan every email prior to sending. Make sure that you aren't too quick to click, or ewe will sea errors that might slip bye. Remember that even in a casual reply, your email is a representation of you and your business.

Tips are continued below:

Unsolicited emails, especially solicitation emails will probably just waste your time. With advances in spam filters, and the high number of spam emails received daily, your email will probably end up deleted before its read. If you aren't sure about how to send e-mails to your clients with out being labeled a spammer, check out Express Email Marketing from DigitalDivaDomains.com, a great way to create a dynamic mailing list, comprehensive email campaigns, and best of all, keep it legal and spam free.

We all get plenty of Sir/Madam emails, make yours stand out by personalizing it to the person you are sending it to. If you are sending a group email, it may be a good idea to acknowledge the parties being carbon copied. This also helps that replies are sent to the appropriate people, avoiding your need to have to then forward a reply back to the whole group. Your personal relationship with the email recipient will have a huge effect on what is or is not appropriate. Consider whom you are sending too, will they understand abbreviations? Do they know you and your sense of humor? When in doubt, leave it out.

Try to respond to all emails within a 48-hour period. If you do not have a complete response, a one-line message letting the other person know you are still working on it will keep them up to date. Most people will be fine waiting for a response; as long as they are assured that you got their original request. An auto responder is a great way to communicate a vacation or other away from the office event. You can inform every one of the dates you will be gone, and provide alternate contact information for those issues that cannot wait.

Take the time to read over your message before you hit send. Is there in incomplete.....thought? A typo or spelling error? For emails of an especially sensitive nature, you may want to have someone else read it before sending. Remember, tone of voice can not be heard on an email, so what may sound friendly and funny to one person can come across as sarcastic or rude to another. Remember, once you hit "Send" it's gone. When sending an email about a hot topic, or if you are angry, walk away before sending. Not only is there no way to get it back, but it's in writing. Most experts will advise the 24 hour rule when you are upset, giving everyone time to cool off and reconsider. Rules of "netiquette" apply too. REMEMBER THAT ALL CAPS IS YELLING!! Use emoticons sparingly and only when needed. They are best left out of formal business email.

Tips are continued below:

No matter how cool is sounds, no company is going to send you money for forwarding an email on to 50 of your closest friends. Some of the health warnings or tips are down right dangerous. If you get an email that you think might be worth sharing, check out it's validity before sending it on. There are some great resources on the web that will help separate fact from fiction. I personally like http://www.snopes.com and http://www.vmyths.com. (See the links section for direct links) Some of the virus warnings that were sent around a few years ago had people deleting files that their operating system required to run. If you doubt an email, don't pass it on. Also remember, every time you forward an email to 50 of your friends, and you can see the string of addresses that it was sent to prior to you, you are putting all of those emails out in circulation on the web. The next person now knows who's in your address book, and who's in your friends. If you do need to send a group message, delete any previous email addresses from the body and use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) feature to protect your friends and family.

Attachments to email can be a huge timesaver, or create a headache. Always ensure that anything you attach to an email is virus free. Is it in a format that the recipient can use? The most commonly accepted attachment forms are :

TXT (plain-text)
JPG/GIF (pictures)
PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader)
DOC (Microsoft Word/WordPad document)
XLS (Excel spreadsheet)
ZIP (Zipped or Compressed files)

Is the file too large? Limitations on attachment sizes vary by email provide and ISP. If you find yourself often needing to quickly send large files, an alternate to email such as Online File Folder (Visit DigitalDivaDomains.com for more info) may solve your size limitation problems, and no fill up other's inboxes.